WASHINGTON – Venus Williams is back on the tennis scene, ready to compete for the first time in more than a year, and while he frequently smiles and laughs on Sundays and discusses his return at the DC Open, there was something that would make her even happier if her sister Serena was along the ride.
“I keep telling my team. The only thing that makes this even better is if she was here. We’ve always done everything together, so of course I’ll miss her,” Venus said when asked about a recent video on social media that showed Serena rocking her racket. “But I’m sure I’ll let her know everything when she comes back.”
Of course, that was said with a big smile. Serena, 43, has not played since the 2022 US Open. She declared she was “evolving” from the sport she had dominated for stretching on her way to the 23 Grand Slam singles title, earning another 14 in doubles with Venus.
“I don’t know what she’s going to do. I won’t ask those questions,” Venus said the day before the hard court tournament in the country’s capital began. “I think we hit the ball all the time, because that’s what we do. We hit it all the time.”
She said it was during her recent practice session that Serena appeared and attended for about 15 or 20 minutes.
“She can take six months off and make it clean,” Venus said. “You can’t teach that kind of talent. She’s very good.”
Both were great at the moment.
Both reached number one in the rankings. Venus, who turned 45 last month, won two major singles championships at the US Open and five at Wimbledon.
Her final tournament took place at the Miami Open in March 2024, where she came out in the first round. It’s very long that the official WTA tour website lists her as “inactive.”
“This is very special for me to go back and play tennis,” Venus said. “I think it’s a surprise to fans. They hold the cards tightly, so it’s generally a surprise.”
It was certain.
When he appeared in Washington via a wildcard invitation a week ago, it was a bit shocked by the tennis world.
Her team contacted DC Open Chairman Mark Ein via text in April to measure whether they would be open to having Venus at the last event in 2022.
“She is such an icon of sports and, importantly, both on and off the court,” Ain said in an interview. “So you can always get her engaged and shine a spotlight on her and everything she’s going on with what she’s done. It’s very positive.”
What did she miss most off the tour?
“All the time I had, and of course, adrenaline, all of that,” Venus said. “The pure fun of playing the game, the fun of challenges, the overcoming – when you play, you overcome so many challenges: your enemies, conditions, that you often have to overcome yourself. They are very exciting.”
When asked why she was back in court, Venus provided a simple response: “Why not?”
She wasn’t prepared to say much about whether this is a one-stop tour or whether she’s planning on playing elsewhere.
“I’m just here now, and who knows?” Venus said. “There’s probably more. … But at the moment, I’m focusing on this. I haven’t played in a year. I’m sure I can play tennis, but I can obviously get back to the match, but it takes time to swing things.
